Board Member and President | Angela Alonzoa | Assistant Principle, Carver High, Winston-Salem/Forsyth Public Schools
Dr. Eleni Pappamihiel specializes in helping both ESL and non-ESL teachers develop expertise in helping English learners achieve both language and content success. Her goal is to help all teachers learn how to help English learners become a true, integrated part of the classroom and school communities. To this end, she helps teachers develop effective classroom strategies and understand how affective factors, like motivation, stress and anxiety can influence how English learners interact in the classroom. Eleni has spent over 20 years in teacher preparation and professional development and has published over 35 articles and book chapters that focus on helping English learners maximize their academic and social achievement in the mainstream classroom. She has expertise in assessment and evaluation, consulting on the development of both the Florida ESL teacher certification assessment and the Praxis II ESOL. Most recently, her assessment work focuses on the identification of English learners with special needs. She has directed several grants related to professional development and headed a multi-million dollar federal grant that, in part, developed a self-directed module-based, online professional development program designed to reach rural areas that are geographically isolated. As the program coordinator for the Teaching English as a Second Language program at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, she designed and implemented their first ESL teacher preparation program in both face-to-face and online formats. Her most recent publication focuses on helping teachers integrate trauma-informed practices into their classrooms to benefit immigrant Latino students.
Dr. Eleni Pappamihiel
Department Chair, Professor
Department of Instructional Technology, Foundations, and Secondary Education
pappamihieln@uncw.edu
Dr. Maria Coady is the Goodnight Distinguished Professor in Educational Equity at North Carolina State University. Her work focuses on rural multilingual (ML) students and the preparation of educators who work with them. Dr. Coady received her doctor of philosophy degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder, where she studied bilingualism and bilingual education. Her dissertation examined Irish-English bilingual schools, Gaelscoileanna, in the Republic of Ireland. Using a lens of place-conscious education and equity, Dr. Coady examines multilingualism, bilingual education, teacher and leader education, and language policies. In addition to funding from the US Department of Education, she has been funded by the Ford Foundation and the Spencer Foundation, and consults for the US Department of Justice and Office of Civil Rights for ML students and families. Internationally, Dr. Coady has prepared educators in countries such as China, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ireland, South Africa, Ukraine, and the United Arab Emirates. Her books include The Coral Way Bilingual Program (2020), Connecting School and the Multilingual Home: Theory and Practice for Rural Educators (2019), Why TESOL (5th ed., 2018, with E. W. Ariza), and Early Language Learning Policies in the 21st Century (Ed., with S. Zein, 2021). Her forthcoming edited book (2023) is titled, Teaching, Learning and Leading for Rural Multilingual Students (with P. Golombek and N. Marichal). In 2021-22 she served as Distinguished Chair in the Humanities and Social Sciences at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Poland, with the US Fulbright Commission.
Maria R. Coady, Ph.D. [she-ella-elle]
Goodnight Distinguished Professor in Educational Equity
Professor of Multilingual Education
Teacher Education and Learning Sciences
North Carolina State University
Dr. Jose Aybar holds a breadth of experiential knowledge gained in senior level administrative positions in multi-college systems. His postings have placed him at the center of operations for systemic decision-making regarding economically disadvantaged students in the US, as well as for international students from Latin America. He has also been at the heart of statewide decision-making regarding the Cuban immigration to the US and developed recommendations for their incorporation into the mainstream of American society.
Currently, Dr. Aybar is developing a web presence to provide support for students entering college and their parents. He resigned from the Presidency of Richard J. Daley College, one of City Colleges of Chicago, in 2017. During his eight years as President, he was responsible for the administration and oversight of a comprehensive community college with an unduplicated head count in FY 2015 of 17,555 students; a faculty and staff of 788; a budget of $31 million in a multi-campus environment with over sixteen sites. Prior to that, he served as Associate Vice Chancellor of Arts and Sciences for the City Colleges of Chicago at the District Office (2003-9).
Dr. Aybar came to the City Colleges of Chicago from Colorado Mountain College where he served as Dean of the Vail/Eagle Valley Campus and subsequently Executive Assistant to the President.
Dr. Aybar has over seven years teaching and learning experience. He has served as Executive Director of a statewide commission and carried out various consultantships for the: Department of Education and the Department of Professional Regulation of the State of Florida, and for the US. Department of Defense Dependent Schools. He is the author of numerous publications, among them: Dependency and Intervention: The Case of Guatemala in 1954 and the Panama Canal College Study for the Department of Defense Dependent Schools. He has also published various opinion pieces in MEDIUM on the Ukraine/Russian Special Military Operation.
Dr. Aybar earned a PhD in International Relations from the Claremont Graduate School, a Master-in-Arts from the Monterey Institute of Foreign Studies, and a Bachelor of Science, in Natural Sciences from Shimer College. He earned certification from the Harvard Institute for Experienced Presidents in 2012. Dr. Aybar’s fields of study and research include Russian Foreign Policy, International Law, Latin American Studies, Higher Education, and Remedial Education.
Dr. Jose M. Aybar
Tel. no.: 312 415 9393
E mail: jasomir@hotmail.com
Professional Appointments: Associate Professor (Retired), College of Education, Florida International University; National Origin Desegregation Assistance (Lau) Center Director and Research Professor, University of Miami; Teacher (more).
Consulting Assignments: U.S. Department of Education; Ministries of Education in Latin American and Spain; Native American Nations, state departments of education, schools systems, colleges and universities, community based and non-profit organizations, law firms, publishing houses, professional organizations, foundations, consulting firms. Examples: Advisory Board, National Language Museum, 2021; America’s Languages Fellow, 2020; FSBA Resource panel on ESOL students, 2018 (more).
Publications: Pontier, R. W., Castro Feinberg, R., & Costello, A. (2020). Voices from the Sunshine State: Program and policy advocates. In T. Erben (Ed.), 45 years SSTESOL: A chronicle of ESOL advocacy, research, and practice in Florida (pp. 25-35). (more).
Elected and Appointed Public Service Positions: Dade County School Board, 1986-1996; Florida Post Secondary Education Planning Commission, 1983-87; Trustee, Public Broadcasting System, 1989-95; Board of the Florida School Boards Association, 1986-93; Dade County Housing Finance Authority, 1984-86.
Community Service: Advisor, National Language Museum Leadership Council, 2021-Present; Education Committee Member, Miami-Dade NAACP, 2020-2022; Member, Multilingual Students Committee, Florida PTA, 2020-2021; Steering Committee Member, Children of Immigrant Families Coalition (CIFC), 2019-present (more).
Recent Awards:
Full bio here.
Rosa Castro Feinberg, Ph. D.
Dr. Cristóbal Berry-Cabán has 35 years of experience as an epidemiologist specializing in tropical diseases, risk behaviors, and substance abuse prevention. He began his career as a Special Assistant to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Human Development Services during the Reagan Administration. For the past 18 years, he has worked at Womack Army Medical Center, Fort Liberty, NC, overseeing prevention projects and mentoring Family Medicine residents in public health research. Dr. Berry-Cabán has collaborated with faculty from institutions such as Brown University, the University of North Carolina, and Georgetown University on various research projects. He has published over 150 articles and has conducted research on substance abuse, tropical diseases, maternal and child healthcare, and preventive medicine. Before his current role, Dr. Berry-Cabán worked with international organizations, including the United Nations, WHO, UNESCO, and The World Bank. He holds a master's degree from Marquette University and a PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He also completed postdoctoral fellowships from the American Psychological Association and Georgetown University. Dr. Berry-Cabán has taught at Campbell University, George Mason University, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, among others, covering topics such as epidemiology, biostatistics, and preventive medicine. He has served on various community service and cultural organization boards, including the Cumberland County Animal Control Board and the DC Latino Community Development Commission. He currently resides in Southern Pines, NC, with his cats Solo and Nippet.
Angela Alonzo, Principal, Thomasville Middle School, Davidson County, NC. Chair, Exceptional Student Education, 2025--27. Board Member and President, Advisory Committee 2024-2025.
Roberto Campos-Marquetti, J.D., Assistant Vice President of Staff and Labor Relations at Duke University. Chair, Workforce Development, 2025-27. Board Member, 2024-2025
We appreciate the service to students and families in the Carolinas provided by former board members.
José Luis Montés III was born and raised in Fort Mill, South Carolina. He is currently studying at the College of Charleston as a Physics and Astrophysics double major, with double minors in Mathematics and Latin American and Caribbean Studies. He went to the South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics for his high school education, where he first got involved in multicultural student education organizations. Currently he is serving as the Treasurer for the College of Charleston's Hispanic and Latino Club and is a member of the College's Spanish as a Heritage Language Distinction (SHLD) program.
José has international business experience, having worked as a Logistics Coordinator for JAM Global Solutions, LLC, which has allowed him to travel to other countries and conduct business in both English and Spanish. He has also worked with NASA through the South Carolina Space Grant Consortium, conducting research on Quantum Technology and Solar Flares via Clemson University.
Realtor NC&SC at NorthGroup Real Estate/(CIPS)/(ABR)/(AHWD)/Bilingual with Spanish/ Autism Mom/BIPOC Advocate
Charlotte Metro Experience Coldwell Banker Realty Realtor/ Broker in NC/SC November 2019 - Present (2 years 8 months)
Experience:
Fort Mill, South Carolina Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS) Accredited Buyers Representative (ABR) Certified At Home With Diversity Agent (AHWD) Keller Williams Fort Mill, SC Realtor January 2019 - November 2019 (11 months) Fort Mill, SC, United States Specializing in residential, commercial, investing Blue Eagle Global Consulting Consultant International Business Development May 2012 - October 2017 (5 years 6 months) Blue Eagle Global Consulting supports companies seeking to introduce existing products or services into new markets with a focus on US, Latin America and Europe. Services include: Market studies Sales channel development Financing development including SBA, EX-IM, factoring, letters of credit, treasury tools Insurance RFPs including credit insurance, cargo insurance and business insurance Distribution/logistics plan development including contract negotiation, FTZ tracking, warehousing, etc Training for sales, accounting & customer support staff Application management for US Government special entity designation programs for Women or Minority Owned Business Page 1 of 4 Caromex International PRESIDENT 2001 - 2011 (10 years) Fort Mill, South Carolina *Business plan development & implementation including raising capital, SBA Export Lines of Credit, & Receivables Financing, and Letters of Credit.
Honors-Awards: Dorothy B. Brothers Executive Scholarship Program, Appointed by Secretary of Commerce to the SC District Export Council 2008-2010, Wake Forest Family Business Center, Member of Advisory Board 2007-2010, US Dept. of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency, Atlanta Regional Minority Exporter of the Year 2006, South Carolina Small Business Exporter of the Year Award 2005.
Full bio here.
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